JEANNIE KEVER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE |
June 20, 2010

UH believes it has the credentials to join Oklahoma State, a team UH beat last season, in the Big 12.

The head of the Big 12 insists there are no plans to add Texas teams to the conference, but Renu Khator, chancellor and president of the University of Houston, apparently didn't get the message.

She's still pushing for membership in the Big 12 or another high-powered athletic league, saying the school deserves a spot because of its rising academic ambitions.

"Sometimes you get defined by the company you keep," Khator said. "You compare your progress against the schools in your league. Being associated with the highest group is always a good thing."

The effort picked up speed last week when 26 area legislators made the case in a letter to Gov. Rick Perry, other state leaders, Big 12 executives and the presidents of the Big 12 schools.

Politicians won't have the final say, but the letter suggests how high the stakes are, and the powerful interests that will be watching the decision.

"For years, the University of Houston has improved its research and academic functions in its drive to rank among the premier universities in Texas," the letter states. "We believe that its inclusion in the prestigious Big 12 conference would assist in this endeavor."

Hauser, a professor of philosophy and religion at Appalachian State University, said he's seen other schools move to a more competitive division after a few winning seasons.

"I don't think these institutions realize what they're getting into because they have to commit so many resources to their athletic programs," he said. "It may give you a higher profile but at considerable expense to your overall institution."

More revenue at stake

Khator said UH stands to gain more from the investment it already is making in athletics.

"We already put in the money," she said. "The question is, Am I getting the return on my investment? What increases is the revenue you generate from tickets, marketing, licensing."

Schools in more competitive conferences do spend more on sports, she said. "But their revenue is significantly higher."

Now, with air travel and the lure of television money, there is less clear alignment of academic standards.

The Big 12 is down to 10 members after two members decamped for other conferences, but it still includes most of the big Texas schools — the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and Baylor University - and Khator contends that UH's size, commitment to new athletic facilities and academic ambitions make it a good fit.

Five Big 12 members, including UT and A&M, belong to the elite Association of American Universities, which represents the nation's top research institutions. UH, Tech and Baylor all hope to join the group someday.

UH and Rice, meanwhile, compete in Conference USA, a collection of 12 schools in Texas and the South. Among C-USA members, only Rice and Tulane are in the AAU.

So the Big 12 has more elite academic programs. But the bigger difference is that members automatically have a shot at a post-season bowl game, along with the money that confers. C-USA teams don't.

Greenspan said Rice wants an equal chance at post-season play for its football team, too.

Rice's success

Rice President David Leebron wants "the best success we can have but within the confines of our mission," said Greenspan, who has been on the job only four months.

That means players who meet Rice's stringent academic standards and are likely to graduate.

"That might put us at a competitive disadvantage," Greenspan said. "I think you can mix high-quality academics and high-quality athletics."

Khator agreed, saying she considers top-flight athletics part of her campaign to make UH nationally competitive.

"When we talk about building a nationally competitive university, I want it to be nationally competitive athletically, academically, in research and in teaching," she said. "I think our student-athletes deserve to be in a setting that is nationally competitive."

"Academically, they may have fared better in a different institution," Brown said.

Khator has found support among UH faculty for the cause.

"I think in general, anything that elevates the national prominence of UH is looked upon positively by faculty," said Mark Clarke, president of the Faculty Senate. "The mainstream view would be that that's a good thing, that any Tier One university would have, hopefully, a Tier One athletics program."

Still, he acknowledged, not all faculty members agree.

And everyone will be watching to see how - and how much - money is spent.

"If we had an athletics program that was breaking even, I don't think there would be any discussion," said Clarke, noting the excitement on campus after the Cougars' hot football season last fall. "There's a clear recognition that, in a perfect world, yes. But there's also recognition that we have to be careful about how we move forward."